System and Method for Intelligent Storage of Time Shifted Content

1. A media broker, executed by at least one electronic hardware component, the media broker comprising: a communication interface communicatively coupling the media broker to one or more media storage devices; and a controller associated with the communication interface and adapted to: create an aggregated stored content list (ASCL) by querying each of the one or more media storage devices for the one or more media items stored on the one or more media storage devices and aggregating information indicative of each of the one or more media items stored on one or more media storage devices communicatively coupled to the media broker to provide the ASCL; receive a request from a user to record a requested media item; query the ASCL to determine if the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices; inform the user that the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices if it is determined that the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices; and request the one or more media storage devices to record the requested media item if it is determined that the requested media item is not stored on the one or more media storage devices.

2. The media broker of claim 1 wherein the ASCL is periodically updated at a predetermined time interval.

3. The media broker of claim 1 wherein the ASCL is created in response to a trigger.

4. The media broker of claim 3 wherein the trigger is the storing of a media item on the one or more media storage devices.

5. The media broker of claim 1 wherein the request is derived from a user selection from a channel guide.

6. The media broker of claim 1 wherein the requested media item is a media item currently displayed on a renderer communicatively coupled to the media broker.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodied in an article of manufacture encoded with instructions for directing a processor of a media broker to: create an aggregated stored content list (ASCL) by querying each of the one or more media storage devices for the one or more media items stored on the one or more media storage devices and aggregating information indicative of each of the one or more media items stored on one or more media storage devices communicatively coupled to the media broker to provide the ASCL receive a request from a user to record a requested media item; query the ASCL to determine if the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices; inform the user that the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices if it is determined that the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices; and request the one or more media storage devices to record the requested media item if it is determined that the requested media item is not stored on the one or more media storage devices.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the ASCL is periodically updated at a predetermined time interval.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the ASCL is created in response to a trigger.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein the trigger is the storing of a media item on the one or more media storage devices.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the request is derived from a user selection from a channel guide.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the requested media item is a media item currently displayed on a renderer communicatively coupled to the media broker.

13. A method, executed by at least one electronic hardware component, the method comprising: creating an aggregated stored content list (ASCL) by querying each of the one or more media storage devices for the one or more media items stored on the one or more media storage devices and aggregating information indicative of each of the one or more media items stored on one or more media storage devices communicatively coupled to the media broker to provide the ASCL; receiving a request from a user to record a requested media item; querying the ASCL to determine if the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices; informing the user that the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices if it is determined that the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices; and directing the one or more media storage devices to record the requested media item if it is determined that the requested media item is not stored on the one or more media storage devices.

14. A media broker, executed by at least one electronic hardware component, the media broker comprising: a communication interface communicatively coupling the media broker to one or more media storage devices; and a controller associated with the communication interface adapted to: create an aggregated series recording list (ASRL) by querying each of one or more media storage devices for one or more media item series requested to be recorded on the one or more media storage devices and aggregating information indicative of the one or more media item series requested to be recorded on the one or more media storage devices communicatively coupled to the media broker to provide the ASRL; receive a request from a user to record a requested media item series; query the ASRL to determine if the requested media item series is already requested to be recorded; inform the user that the requested media item series is already requested to be recorded if it is determined that the requested media item series is already requested to be recorded; and store a request to record the requested media item series in the ASRL if it is determined that the requested media item series is not already requested to be recorded.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodied in an article of manufacture encoded with instructions for directing a processor of a media broker to: create an aggregated series recording list (ASRL) by querying each of one or more media storage devices for one or more media item series requested to be recorded on the one or more media storage devices and aggregating information indicative of the one or more media item series requested to be recorded on the one or more media storage devices communicatively coupled to the media broker to provide the ASRL; receive a request from a user to record a requested media item series; query the ASRL to determine if the requested media item series is already requested to be recorded; inform the user that the requested media item series is already requested to be recorded if it is determined that the requested media item series is already requested to be recorded; and store a request to record the requested media item series in the ASRL if it is determined that the requested media item series is not already requested to be recorded.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the processor is further directed to update the information in the ASRL to record at least one media item on a media storage device associated with a renderer on which the at least one media item is most likely to be viewed.

17. A method, executed by at least one electronic hardware component, the method comprising: creating an aggregated series recording list (ASRL) by querying each of one or more media storage devices for one or more media item series requested to be recorded on the one or more media storage devices and aggregating information indicative of the one or more media item series requested to be recorded on the one or more media storage devices communicatively coupled to the media broker to provide the ASRL; receiving a request from a user to record a requested media item series; querying the ASRL to determine if the requested media item series is already requested to be recorded; informing the user that the requested media item series is already requested to be recorded if it is determined that the requested media item series is already requested to be recorded; and storing a request to record the requested media item series in the ASRL if it is determined that the requested media item series is not already requested to be recorded.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising updating the information in the ASRL to record at least one media item on a media storage device associated with a renderer on which the at least one media item is most likely to be viewed.